Adaptive eco cruise strategy for improved electric vehicle efficiency and range

A vehicle comprising:

• a drive unit;
• data processing hardware;
• and
• memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware and storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:
• receiving an eco-cruise control request comprising a requested cruise control velocity and a velocity tolerance, the eco-cruise control request instructing the drive unit to operate the vehicle at a velocity within the velocity tolerance of the requested cruise control velocity;
• determining a range of candidate cruise control velocities that satisfy the velocity tolerance of the requested cruise control velocity;
• receiving, from one or more sensors implemented on the vehicle, vehicle dynamic information of the vehicle;
• a drive unit efficiency map indicating a drive unit efficiency for each combination of traction torque, candidate cruise control velocity, and inverter direct current bus voltage;
• and
• determining, based on the vehicle dynamic information and the drive unit efficiency map, an eco-cruise control velocity that maximizes a drive unit efficiency of the drive unit, the eco-cruise control velocity comprising one of the candidate cruise control velocities from the range of candidate cruise control velocities.